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The Characteristics of Casual and Fixed-Term Employment: Evidence from the HILDA Survey

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Wooden

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

  • Diana Warren

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

It is widely assumed that non-standard employment arrangements, and especially casual employment, involve employment conditions that are inferior to more traditional employment arrangements. This paper uses data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to examine this issue. Specifically, data on job satisfaction are used to proxy job quality. These data suggest that workers do not necessarily see non-standard employment as undesirable. First, workers on fixed-term contracts are found to be much more satisfied with their jobs than other workers. Second, the lower levels of job satisfaction among casual employees are restricted to those working full-time, and even then the size of the effect is only marked among men.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Wooden & Diana Warren, 2003. "The Characteristics of Casual and Fixed-Term Employment: Evidence from the HILDA Survey," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2003n15, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2003n15
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    File URL: http://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/working_paper_series/wp2003n15.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    6. Iain Campbell & Peter Brosnan, 1999. "Labour Market Deregulation in Australia: The slow combustion approach to workplace change," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 353-394.
    7. Paul W. Miller, 1994. "Gender Discrimination in Training: An Australian Perspective," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(4), pages 539-564, December.
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    10. Mark Wooden & Simon Freidin & Nicole Watson, 2002. "The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)Survey: Wave 1," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 35(3), pages 339-348, September.
    11. Paul Miller & Charles Mulvey, 1994. "Gender Inequality in the Provision of Employer‐Supported Education," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 27(4), pages 35-50, October.
    12. Andrew E. Clark, 1996. "Job Satisfaction in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 189-217, June.
    13. Richard B. Freeman, 1980. "The Exit-Voice Tradeoff in the Labor Market: Unionism, Job Tenure, Quits," NBER Working Papers 0242, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew Gray & Lixia Qu, 2004. "Long work hours and the wellbeing of fathers and their families," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 7(2), pages 255-273, June.
    2. Siminski, Peter, 2008. "What Would the Average Public Sector Employee be Paid in the Private Sector?," Economics Working Papers wp08-05, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
    3. Productivity Commission, 2006. "The Role of Non-Traditional Work in the Australian Labour Market," Research Papers 0601, Productivity Commission, Government of Australia.
    4. Sharni Chan, 2013. "‘I am King’: Financialisation and the paradox of precarious work," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 24(3), pages 362-379, September.
    5. Anne Junor, 2004. "Casual University Work: Choice, Risk, Inequity and the Case for Regulation," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 14(2), pages 276-304, January.
    6. Michael Beckmann & Thomas Cornelissen, 2009. "Fixed-term Employment, Work Organization and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from German Individual-Level Data," Working papers 2009/10, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    7. Peter Siminski, 2013. "Are low-skill public sector workers really overpaid? A quasi-differenced panel data analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(14), pages 1915-1929, May.
    8. Alison Booth & Margi Wood, 2006. "Back-to-front Down-under? Estimating the Part-time/Full-time Wage Differential over the Period 2001-2003," CEPR Discussion Papers 525, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    9. Alison Booth & Margi Wood, 2004. "Back-to-front Down-under? Part-time/Full-time Wage Differentials in Australia," CEPR Discussion Papers 482, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.

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